Atlanta United had faced their hardest test of the season so far with two home matches against the Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati. Coming off a 2-1 loss against Cincinnati, the 5-Stripes are looking forward to the coming away match against Chicago FC.
After working on various drills during Tuesday practice, including taking penalty shots, Luis Abram, and Ajani (Jay) Fortune both spoke with local media about accountability and how the team is always learning from the previous match.
Luis Abram
Better defense was a point of attack for the coaching staff this season. Atlanta ranks fourth best in MLS in expected shot against opponent. Much of that has to do with the backline put together; one component of that is center back Luis Abram. For him, game management is key to correcting mistakes made.
“We have to know how to manage the moments of the game,” said Abram when asked about how the team can prevent mistakes made during matches. “We have to manage the situation that we are in and be more intelligent.”
Though he plays a role in defense of the team, Abram believes it takes a team effort to get the results Atlanta is looking for.
“I don’t think it is just on the defenders,” said Abram. “As a team, we work together. We are eleven players.”
Jay Fortune
One of the Tools to the Match going into Saturday was being more clinical when chances present themselves. Not only capitalizing on the offensive touches they get, but also being able to limit chances for their opponent. Against Philadelphia and Cincinnati, Atlanta was able to create scoring opportunities, even with the aggressive defensive nature of both teams. But for midfielder Jay Fortune their troubles came from managing themselves, especially after taking the lead in the game.
“One of the biggest issues we have had the past few games is a lot of the chances we give up are ones we do to ourselves,” said Fortune. “That has been our focus today after the film session today; just putting ourselves in positions to try and reduce changes the other team gets.”
Atlanta will look to make those corrections against Chicago at Soldier Field, hopefully replicating the 3-0 win they had against Chicago at home.
